On we go… not my intention to make anyone upset :)
Chapter One – Run
"… No wonder you're late. Why, this watch is exactly two days slow…"
– the Mad Hatter, Alice in Wonderland (1951)
Enchanted Forest - The Past
"Gods! Help me!" she cried, running through the woods. Casting a glance over shoulder she saw the dark points poking through the green behind her. The clopping and grunting was gaining on her. "Hel… Ah!" She looked back to the path before her in time to see a fallen log but not in enough time to jump over it. Her eyes closed as she waited for the impact of her fall, only it did not come.
Her hazel gaze opened, she blinked in confusion "Ha- How?" her body was somehow suspended a few inches above a grey stone floor. "Ah!" All too suddenly she fell with a hard thump against the ground. "Oh gods…" she groaned.
"Not exactly dearie." A small gleeful voice commented from above her. Something about its sound made her want to keep her eyes focused on the stone under her. "Now, what sort of manners are those?" the impish voice tsked at her. She felt her honey brown hair being lifted, forcing her to stand to avoid the pain of tugging, once she was on her feet she shut her eyes as her head was pulled up "Now open…"
Compelled to look, she found the disturbing sight of a discoloured 'man?' in front of her inside a darkened hall, somehow she had been transported out of the forest. The man bowed deeply, waving his arms about him theatrically. It would have been funny if the man had not been so extraordinarily threatening.
"Wha- Who are you?"
"I, dearie," he straightened up and gestured to himself "am help…"
She looked over the strange little man "Help?"
"Do you not recall?" he asked, dancing around her, impulsively she shrunk away from him. "'Gods! Help me!'" he imitated her frightened voice.
"Bu- but why…"
He let out a squeak of a giggle "I was under the impression you wanted to get away from your satyr friend, but if not…" he raised his hands as though he was about to clap to transport her again.
"NO! No, no!" She shook her hands for him to stop, his rotted smile though unnerving was not as horrible as the thought of returning to him and his amber glare, to "Samson…" she huffed, dropping her arms in expiration. Having heard myths and consulting all manner of soothsayer her father had tried binding the lustful beast known as Samson with fresh bowstrings, when that failed with new ropes, then when that failed as well her father had tried weaving the satyr's locks together but that too had failed. The powerful braying goat creature had ruined her family members' lives, so she had run away, knowing that he would follow, only she had not expected him to be so persistently at her heels "he… I…" she stuttered "I've got nothing to giv… I'm just a shepherdess…"
"Yes, yes dearie" he snorted again, a small mirror appeared in a puff of purple smoke in his left hand. "I know your story, better than even you might… who was that boy? The chimney sweep…"
That took her by surprise, a warmth ached out from her heart, her lips moved before she could stop herself "Mattie…"
"Yes your Mattie … though we both know he has another very unique name and more importantly a very specific talent, ta-ha" he stepped towards her breathless form.
She cleared her throat, trying to stand her ground "Brewing tea?"
"No" he giggled holding the mirror up to her face, "your beloved Mad Hattie…" at first there was purple smoke where her reflection should have been, but it disappeared and instead she saw him. Wild and frantic searching… she pulled the mirror out of conjuror's hands.
"How?" she asked, her heart filled with joy followed by the deepest pain.
"You cannot seriously believe one as crazed as he would simply let you go… he-he…"
"What happened to him? He was never this… this… mad" she frowned at what she saw before her 'he had always been rather twisted, funny and sweet but this…'
"You've been gone two weeks, dearie. The first short days he went mad trying to make hats, thinking you may have jumped to another plain to escape and he did, until he heard a rumour… he made hundreds in those few days alone, for what it was worth… "
"He stopped though… he quit. He swept chim…"
"… chimneys. That he did, for a time, but he was looking for you, he still is but in a more… old fashion way now," the imp giggled "it seems that while his insanity grew in your absence, his magic vanished…"
'The hats…' "None of them worked…" she muttered, raising a contemplative finger to touch the flat likeness of her Mattie.
"No, none of them worked" the image in the mirror vanished.
Her grip tightened on the mirror, she shook it "Bring him back!" her eyes were beginning to well up "Please, just let me see him once more…" she begged, bowing her head her honey brown hair falling in a curtain around her.
"I can do one better than that… well, several really…" he moved in close to whisper into her ear, she felt his breath as he spoke "I can bring you two together, get rid of your entire Samson the Satyr issue… have you live happily ever after."
Her head snapped to face his green expression, "Why?"
He chuckled at her uncertain gaze "The loss of ta-rue love, appears to have stripped him of his power completely, and thusly of all of his use."
"You want me to agree so that you can use him?" she blinked away the water in her eyes, steeling her jaw and straightening her back "No."
He clicked his tongue at her, with a snap of his fingers the mirror evaporated into thin air, as he leaped back from her side "You make it sound so simple. What use is he to anyone running around utterly mad, what use is he to himself? He will surely die without you…"
That hit her hard enough to weaken her resolve.
"Besides the deal I make will be with you dearie, not with him" he laughed. "It is a good one, trust me."
"A good one?"
"That is if you want him to…" his foul teeth showed in a delighted smile "… keep his head… about him." his odd squeak of giggle escaped his greyish lips.
He watched her, looking nearly frozen as she swallowed slowly "What do you want?"
The small man clapped his hands together happily, she held her breath "Nothing much, just seven strands of the satyr's hair."
She let an out a gasp of air, having been expecting something else, something worse in the very least. 'Though getting the hairs will likely not be pleasant…' Her brow still furrowed in puzzlement.
"Worry not about the details of my plans… do this thing for me dearie and I will do what I promised." He held out his grimy green hand, "Deal?" his split fingernails made her stop from consenting there and then.
"That is all? I get those seven hairs from his head and you will make it so he no longer torments me? Mattie and I, we will live in peace?" she questioned him again.
"The satyr will leave you be" the green man swore, offering his hand again for an accord.
"All- all right." She shook his cold hand. "Mr…"
"Rumpelstiltskin" he moved back, sticking out his leg and bowing deeply to his toe.
"I am De…"
"Delilah..." he giggled "...dearie. I am well aware…"
Storybrooke
"Paige!"
"Yeah!"
"Baby, hurry up, we're gonna be late!" She shouted upstairs from the kitchen taking. a quick sip of her tea "Ouch!" she hissed burning her tongue, placing her mug on the counter top as she finished packing Paige's lunch.
"Want some coffee instead?" Two big arms wrapped around her body from behind her, a nose nuzzled against her honey-brown hair.
"That's still a hot drink." She pulled a little out of his grip.
"I made it before your tea…" he pressed against her more "... it's cooled." Leaning in for a kiss.
She shrugged, tugging her head away from him under the pretext of taking another sip of her tea, not wanting to hurt him "You know that it just doesn't taste very good to me."
"I know…" he sighed, rubbing the flat of her back before finally letting go of her.
"PAIGE!" she called again, rinsing out her mug and putting it down in the sink.
"I'm coming! I'm coming! Just one sec…" the nine year old hollered from her room upstairs. No matter how hard she tried, every morning she couldn't bring herself to force the little girl out of bed and every morning without fail would result in these appeals up the stairs and down.
Grabbing the toast she had made and buttered for Paige's breakfast, she huffed "you're gonna have to eat on the go… again." Making sure that she had everything she turned at the sound clomping down the stairs, turned to meet amber eyes and waiting lips. As she returned the kiss from the lips all that she was able to take in was the taste of bitter coffee.
"Mum!" Paige's voice came from the door that led to the garage. "I'm ready!"
She moved away from him, giving him a smile and shuffling out from between the counter and his body. She picked her briefcase up from the ground at the kitchen's doorway.
"Lilia…"
"Yes Dom?" she turned around to face him.
He grinned at her, ruffling his hand through his black hair he leaned back against the counter "I love you" the sincerity in his gaze broke her heart.
Gulping, she resisted the urge to look away from him. "Me too."
"What about me?" Paige's voice burst into the kitchen from hallway behind Lilia.
Lilia smiled, facing her daughter's expectant brown eyes, she leaned down handing Paige her breakfast and playfully pinching the tip of her nose, "You most of all, my sleepy little Dormouse."
"Bet on it, darlin'" Lilia heard the smile in Dom's voice. He had moved closer gently, tugging on Paige's honey-brown ponytail.
"All right let's go," young mother cleared her throat, standing up properly "Don't want Ms. Blanchard's sub giving me another earful. Scoot…"
With a quick peck on the cheek from Dom, both of the girls were off. In the car Paige had been scarfing down the toast and between bites she was explaining in great detail how she and her friends were making a volcano for the school's science fair, when Lilia suddenly spotted something that almost made her skid the car to a stop at the side of the road. It looked nearly familiar, hidden in the mossy tall trees… more importantly it felt familiar.
"Whaff wa tha?" Paige asked through a mouthful of toast, as Lilia turned back to carry on driving down the road.
'Running late… running late…'
"Nothing…" Lilia shook her head, reaching into the backseat and ruffling around in her bag "Here…" she handed Paige a bottle of chewable vitamins.
"You too Momma…" Paige held an orange pill out to Lilia mouth.
"Aw!" Lilia whined "I want a grape one…"
"No way! There aren't a lot left…"
"Please?" Lilia droned humorously, as they approached the school.
Paige sighed, beginning to open the bottle again "Fine…"
"Oh love…" Lilia lightly pinched her daughter nose. "I didn't mean it…" she pulled into the empty school driveway 'late… again…' she held out her hand, "orange is fine…" she grinned, leaning in for her vitamin again after parking.
"I know Mum" Paige smiled, unbuckling her seatbelt, handing Lilia a pill and giving her a kiss on the on the cheek.
"I have to work late today so Dom'll pick up you up… ok?" Lilia hugged her daughter.
"Ok…" Paige muttered against Lilia's dark honey hair.
"I love you."
"Love you too, Mum." The young girl opened the door, hopping out of the car and dropping the bottle of vitamins into her empty seat. "Bye!"
Lilia hazel eyes fixed on the shrinking form of her running daughter. She popped tablet into her mouth, starting up her car with a smile as she chewed 'Grape…' Lilia drove out of the school`s driveway resisting the urge to peek at her rear view mirror to try to catch a glimpse of the spot on the road where she had veered.
All day long she couldn't shake that familiar feeling from her bones.
"Heading out for the night…" Emma Swann, the new sheriff in town, poked her blonde head into Lilia's office.
It had been about a month since Graham had mysteriously passed away, but for some reason Lilia still expected it to be him wishing her good night and checking in and playing that horrible bubble gum pop that used to echo through the halls… Graham had pinned it's playing on Lilia and she had let him, taking pity when he admitted to her that he preferred that particular poppy genre of music for concentrating.
"Right, just finishing up… see you tomorrow." Lilia bid Emma a goodnight.
When Emma had rolled into town Lilia had liked her. The blonde woman was only two years older than her and they got along, but Lilia mostly liked her on the basis that Graham had taken a fancy to Emma. And that had meant that Graham might finally have had a shot at a life outside of bachelorhood. But things hadn't worked out that way… and now Lilia liked Emma for a whole new set of reasons.
A few weeks ago Sheriff Swann had helped Lilia with two children who had no one taking care of them. Being the town's only social worker, it had fallen to Lilia to figure something out for the Zimmer twins, Ava and Nicholas, who didn't want to be separated. She had been pushed to so many dead ends in search of their biological father that she was considering taking them in herself, but something was pushing their case, forcing the state to rule that the children had to be taken to Boston. Thanks to Emma that had not happened. Emma had found Michael Tillman, the twins' father, and convinced him at the very last possible moment to take back his kids.
Emma Swann was a life saver… but Lilia still sighed as she looked over the pages she was preparing for the state. She felt half dead. While Michael Tillman was the father of the children, given his past lack of involvement and since their case had been pushed so fast then suddenly stopped, inquiries had been made to see how fit Tillman would be as a parent.
Lilia had worked tirelessly, she had gotten the family members to talk together and separately to the Archie, the local therapist, after which everyone was certain of the children's desire to stay with their father and Tillman's desire to have them. Following that Lilia had driven herself nuts going around collecting as many accounts of the man as she could, his finances weren't the best, but she had helped him develop a business and investment plan, convincing him to enroll in parenting and nutrition workshops at the school…
'A family that wants to be together should be,' that familiar feeling from the road ached in her again.
With tired a roll of her shoulders she decided to call it a day, she went to the sheriff's part of the floor to wish Mary Margret Blanchard a goodnight, but found the defamed teacher curled up in her cell asleep. In her heart Lilia couldn't accept that anyone remotely like Mary Margret, jilted or not, could do anything as gruesome as the murder that she had been accused of.
It was still on Lilia's mind as she drove back up the darkening road to her home near the edge of town. She tried to ignore the urge, but as Lilia came up to that stretch of road she slowed down. 'There it is!' Lilia pulled over and parked, running out to examine in the beam of her headlights what look to be some brownish cloth embroidered with colourful flowers. The cloth was clinging to the bark of a tree, and though she was sure that she had never seen it before it felt so powerfully familiar, enough to make her hand tremble as she reached for the item.
It was soft and relatively clean, she frowned as she caught a whiff of something 'that smell…' as she raised the cloth to her nose and closed her eyes. 'How?… Pai…'
"Excuse me" her eyes flew open, and her spine tingled "But I do believe that belongs to me…"
Hope all is going well… liking the season so far. Let me know what you think.
